Chris Perez
Chris Perez is a Canadian based Filipino artist practicing in abstract painting and mural art. Perez pushes moments of arbitrary movement to create an inner dialogue with material and environment, like that of an abstract dance with painting. His influences are derived from street art, graffiti, murals, abstract art, and expressionist painting. He explores ideas behind personal and cultural identity using abstraction that touches uses the aesthetics and shapes of florals. Perez primarily uses latex, acrylics, and spray paint as his main mediums. He is currently developing a series of artwork that revolves around public art, and accessibility. Chris Perez (born 1990) studied at OCADU, received a BFA in Drawing and Painting (2012)
Basement
Acrylic on canvas, 2024
Chris Perez
This work explores spatial awareness and the relationship between objects, places, and personal experiences. Drawing from digital lenses, I reinterpret the world around me, flattening scanned three-dimensional spaces and objects into two-dimensional forms. Through this process, I focus on highlighting subtle details that may otherwise go unnoticed using paint.
The artwork is deeply influenced by my personal struggles with displacement, creating a bond between the objects and places I depict. Each painting reflects my connection to everyday occurrences and their significance. Captured spaces and items also form a digital library, which I then incorporate into my art and can be easier accessible to the public.
Using UV mapping functions in Blender, I digitally scan objects and places, deconstructing them into flat images. These scans are taken with an iPhone and serve as the foundation for my paintings. The act of flattening these references allows me to reimagine spatial perspectives, challenging traditional perceptions of depth and structure.
While my method begins with digital tools, I bring it back to a traditional painting technique, allowing for a tangible and emotional engagement with the medium. The combination of digital scanning and hand-painted responses provides a layered interpretation of space, emerging technology, and the human experience. Through this, I aim to express my fascination with the ways we inhabit and interpret spaces, both physically and expressively.